Brick-kiln.



J. V. MONTRIEF.

BRICK KILN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1913.

Patented July 13, 1915.

JAMES V. MONTBIEF, 0F BBIDGEPOBT, TEXAS.

BRIGK'KILN;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. July 13, rare.

Application filed November 25, 1913. Serial No. 802,920.

and divided by transverse partitions into compartments, generally calledchambers. These chambers are filled, fired, cooled and emptiedprogressively, and when the structure is built endless, in circular,rectangular or elliptical form is called a continuouskiln, and whenbuilt with ends is called a semicontinuous kiln. It is generally knownthat these kilns in which the zone of high heat progresses horizontallyand in which the air for supporting combustion reaches the fuel in ahighly heated state from having passed through several chambers ofcooling goods,

and in which the combustion gases leaving the zone of high heat travelhorizontally through several chambers of unbaked goods preparing themfor high heat, are economical in the amount of fuelconsumed. Theprincipal objection to such kilns is that the heated air and combustiongases, in their passage through unbaked goods, take up a great deal ofmoisture, and, before reaching the exit from the kiln, pass throughother ware, which is yet of so low temperature as to cause thismoisture, in many cases, with the addition of sulfurous and otherobjectionable gases from the fuel used, to be redeposited on the coolerware, causing an unsightly scum to remain on the ware after it isfinished, injuring its market value; and

sometimes the amount of moisture deposited on the cool ware is so greatas to soften the ware to such an extent that the ware nearest to thefloor will not sustain the weight of goods piled above it, and it isthereby ruined while in the soft condition. I

The object of my invention is to overcome the objection to such kilnswithout materially lessening their fuel economy.

This invention can be applied to old kilns or built into new kilns ofthe class mentioned.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the followingdescription and the invention will be more, particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form part of thisapplica tion.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a kiln, illustrating my invention, onlyenough chambers being shown to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section of a kiln, showing the manner of circulating heatedair. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a kiln illustrating a variation inthe construction of the kiln, the kiln here shown having a masonry archwhich makes what is called a tunnel kiln. Fig. d is a detail view of aheat circulating flue or duct for circulating heat in a chamber which isto be water smoked.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same partsthroughout the several views.

A kiln is shown provided with a gallery 1 andside-walls 2 and 3. Ductsor tunnels or lines 4 and 5 are built in the walls 2 and 3 near theirtops and extend throughout the length of these walls. Communication isformed between the ducts 4: and 5 and the that such ducts or fiues maybe used with continuous or semi-continuous kilns, or with continuous orsemi-continuous tunnel kilns, whether the kilns are open-top or coveredwith arched masonry. These ducts 6 to 22 may also be formed as lateralprojections from the walls 2 and 8, and formed of masonry. Each flue isprovided with a valve 24 which controls communication from the gallery 1to the duct 4 and valves 34: which control communication from thegallery to the flue or tunnel 5 whenever de- The duct or tunnel 4: isprovided for the proper circulation of sirable or necessary.

heated air. The duct 5 is the water-smoke duct provided for carryingaway the mixture of warm air, aqueous vapor and the gases of thevolatile matter contained in the 110 clay, which comes off while thebaking brick or other clay ware is undergoing its first few hundreddegrees of rise of temperature at the beginning ofthe firing process.The water-smoke duct 5 is connected at some convenient point to a wheelfan 25, for the purpose of producing induced currents of air through theduct or tunnel 5 and its lateral ducts, which extend out over and downwithin the gallery 1. The wheel fan illustrates one way of causinginduced drafts and it is not an intention to limit this invention tosuch means, as other means can be utilized for causing the inducedcurrent. During operation, the fan 25 runs continuously and the currentwill be controlled by the valve 3& in a manner hereinafter set forth.The duct 5 has no opening or means of circulation except the lateralducts 7 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, and 22 and the communication with the fan25. The duct 4: is for the purpose of distributing the heated air fromand to the gallery 1 by means of the lateral ducts 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16,18, and 20, and by the downcast tubes or ducts 26, which may correspondin number and location along the duct 4L as the lateral or transverseducts just mentioned. But it may be found to be more practicable to usemore transverse ducts than are shown in the drawings, and one or moresuch ducts may be used with each chamber without departing from thisinvention. Each duct 26 is provided with a cut-off valve 37 for cuttingoff and opening communication with the gallery 1 whenever necessary. Theducts 26 have members 28 extending transversely under the firing gallery1 and the members 28 are perforated by slots on the upper sides, asshown in Fig. 1, to allow heated air, being caused by induced currents,to pass upwardly in to the gallery 1. For further distribution of theheated air, the tubes 28 are provided with lateral members 27, which arealso perforated on the upper sides. The gallery 1 is divided intonumerous chambers by transverse vertical partitions 29. Each chamber iscarefully sealed up tight with partitions between it and the precedingand succeeding chambers. The operation of firing the gallery isprogressive, and the object of sealing the chambers tight is to confinethe induced draft to the particular chamber which is being heated. Theunbaked ware will be heated in advance of the firing and in advance ofthe burning partitions. These partitions may be made of paper and arenot permanent partitions at all. The kiln is provided with one or morewatersmoke connections for each chamber in the firing gallery and alsowith one or more hotair connections on the other side of the gallery,with the downcast drafts and distribu tion fiues or tubes.

All the valves 24: will stand closed, except those which are being usedfor trans ferring heated air. A hot-air distribution tube 26 and itsvalve 37 will be open, while the water-smoke valve 34 in the samechamber will be open to the duct 5. All the hot air distribution valveswill stand closed except those through which heated air is being taken.The valves must be so regulated to accomplish the preliminary heatingand wa tor-smoking of the cool unbaked ware without using combustiongases for that purpose. Suppose the kiln to be in full operation with anumber of cooling chambers behind the zone of full fire and a number ofchambers filled with unbaked ware ahead of full fire.

Suppose the chamber 10 is in full fire. The chamber to be water-smokedshould be about six chambers-ahead of the one which is un der full fire,as chamber 36. The fine 9 will be open to the duct 5 by means of a valveand a flue 26 will be opened by its va ve 3'? to admit heated air underthe bottom of the chamber 36 while a valve 24 will be open for takingclean heated air from two or three chambers back of the chamber 40.Communication will be opened from the gallery 1 by means of a valve 24,opening into duct 4 for taking heated air from the cooling chamber andtransferring it along the flue or duct t until it reaches the downcastfine 26 which leads under the bottom of chamber 36. The warm air oraqueous vapor, which is water-smoke, will pass up through the chamber 36and thence through the flue 9 and duct 5 by reason of the induced draftthrough this fiue and this duct. The advantage of water-smoking upwardlyis that the ware at the bottom is dried first, thereby making it capableof sustaining the weight of the ware above. The means herein describedare intended to accomplish the water-smoking rapidly and thoroughly andwith certainty and without permitting combustion gases coming in contactwith the cool unbaked ware. It is necessary to the successfulwater-smoking that there is a forced draft moving upwardly through theware. The operation in all the chambers 42, 10, 39, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36,and 38 will be the same, that is, clean heated air will be taken from achamber two or three chambers back of the chamber which is under fullfire and transferred .by means of the fiue or tunnel s and distributedunder the bottom of a chamber about six chambers ahead of the chamberwhich is under full fire. As soon as one chamber is disposed of, thenext chamber in order will be treated in the same manner. The paperpartitions will be consumed in the .process of firing as usual.

No attempt is made to describe or illustrat'e the flues and othermechanism used in firing the chambers as such mechanism forms no part ofmy invention. In Fig. 1 are shown a number of windows or feed holes 33in the roof of the firing gallery which may be used in a firing processwhen the kiln is fired in such manner. The flues which lead from thegallery 1 to the ducts 4 and 5 may be made of any suitable material andmay be of any suitable size, and more or less of such flues can be usedas may be desirable or practicable.

What I claim, is,-

1. A kiln having two parallel walls inclosing a firing gallery, eachwall having a longitudinal tunnel therein near the top part, transverseflues connected with said tunnels and projecting over and down into thefiring gallery, each flue being provided with a valve, one of saidtunnels being a water-smoke tunnel and the other tunnel bea heated airtunnel, means for creating induced currents in the water-smoke tunnel,downcast flues connected with said heated air tunnel and extending underthe said firing gallery and having perforations in the upper side fordischarging heated air under the firing gallery, and a valve for eachdowncast flue.

2. In a kiln provided with two walls inclosing a firing gallery, aseries of partitions dividing said gallery into sealed tight chambers,means for water-smoking unbaked ware in said chambers consisting of oneof said walls having a water-smoke tunnel and the other wall having aheated air tunnel, means for opening and closing communication from vtheupper parts of said chambers to said water smoke tunnel, means foropening and closing communication from the upper parts of said chambersindividually to said heated air tunnel, means for distributing heatedair from said heated air tunnel under the bottom of each of saidchambers individually, and means for causing induced currents upwardlythrough each chamber.

In testimony whereof, I set my hand in the presence of two witnesses,this 17th day of November, 1913.

JAMES V. MONTRIEF.

Witnesses:

A. L. JACKSON, J. W. S'rrr'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. c."

